Collins Establishes Independence Through Near Total Agreement With Trump
Sen. Susan Collins established her independence from President Donald Trump during Tuesday’s Maine Senate debate, separating herself from the president at the blistering rate of one carefully worded concern for every 47 supportive votes. Facing Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, Collins noted that she is “not exactly his favorite senator” and predicted Trump would not campaign in Maine, definitive proof that his agenda bears no connection to the Republican senator who has repeatedly supplied it with votes, committee power and a dependable expression of private unease.
Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, explained through her record that independence is not measured by opposing a president, blocking his priorities or risking any meaningful political consequence. It is measured by supporting him after several grave pauses and then releasing a statement suggesting he should behave differently next time. Her campaign described the method as Maine moderation, a governing philosophy in which a senator installs the machinery, complains about the noise and seeks reelection as the only mechanic brave enough to furrow her brow at it.
Trump confirmed the estrangement while praising Collins’s reliability. “Susan is incredibly independent, maybe the most independent senator who agrees with me almost every time, and I barely know her until we need the vote, which we get,” Trump said. “She runs away from me beautifully, but always toward the same legislation, and that takes tremendous courage.” Jackson argued that Collins cannot plausibly market herself as a check on an agenda she routinely helps enact. Collins rejected the charge, noting that she checks each agenda item carefully before voting for it, occasionally announces disappointment afterward and never permits disagreement to escalate into obstruction. The debate therefore confirmed Collins as Washington’s leading independent voice for doing what Trump wants.
* None of the quotes in this article were spoken by an actual person. More info.